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C—6

James Ward examined. 13. Mr. Joyce.] You are a coal-miner, residing_at Brunnerton, Mr. Ward?— Yes. 14. Have you had much experience in coal-mining ?—Eleven years—all in New Zealand, mostly in the Brunner and Coalpit Heath Mines. 15. How long have you worked in the Brunner Mine?— Ever since the Coalpit Heath stopped. I was in the Brunner Mine the first six months; then I went to Westport Hill, Koranui, Tyneside, and Coalpit Heath. I was in Brunner all the time during the eleven years, with th! exception of six months. 16. Have you worked in the sump-workings ? —Yes. 17. How long since ?—A little over two years ago. 18. Were you getting coal ?—Yes. 19. Did you ever find any indications of gas in the sump-workings ?—Not when I was working there. 20. Did you ever see gas in it at any time ? —Yes. 21. In any quantity ?—Yes. 22. The Chairman.] When ?—During the last six weeks ; since the explosion. 23. Mr. Joyce.] In how many places? —Five. 24. In anything like considerable quantities ?—Yes. 25. How much would you say—how many feet?—Brislane's place was the worst—the one I saw gas in. 26. How much was in that place?— The "break" is about 12 yards back from where he was working. The gas was "caught" about 2 yards further than this "break" —10 yards from the face. 27. Was any one present when you found this gas? — Yes, William Daw and George Newlands. 28. Who tested for the gas ?—No one. We went in that bord that morning at 6 a.m. Daw said gas was showing in his lamp, and we put our lamps down to the ground. 29. Did you make an examination of the mine in conjunction with Daw, Robinson, and Russell?— Yes, on the part of the miners. 30. While making that examination, did you come to any conclusion as to the cause of the explosion ?—Yes. 31. Tell the Commissioners what conclusion you came to?—A gas explosion. 32. What were your reasons for coming to that conclusion? —The same indications were apparent in every place where the gas had exploded—charred deposits remaining. 33. Do you consider that wherever you saw charred deposits there you had had gas ?—Yes. 34. And the excessive heat there was caused by the gas ?—Let me retract what I said. You asked me if where I saw the charred deposits there had been gas—not in all places, because it was deposited with the current. 35. You said in your answer that there had been gas, and that where the charred places were they were produced by the gas deposited there by the current ?—Yes. 36. Did you examine the blown-out hole ?—Yes, in what was called the fourth place. 37. There was a tramway laid up to that hole, was there not ? —Yes; but no tools were found in the vicinity of the shot-hole, and no body that I am aware of. 38. Assuming that there was no body and no tools in the vicinity of the shot hole, would you consider the shot was fired on the morning of the 26th or not ? —-No. 39. Say, for instance, a miner was going to change his place next day, the 27th, it was a common thing for him to go to his new place and commence work ? —Yes. 40. Well, if he came out to commence work, what would be the first thing he would do ?— Fetch his tools. 41. Would he take them back to his own place or leave them in the new place ?—He would leave them at the new place. That is the case in my experience. 42. Assuming that a man had fired that shot, where do you think he would deposit the tools ? —Inside the slit. 43. If there were no tools found in the slit, you would come to the conclusion that the hole was not bored that morning ?—Yes. 44. From your examination of the hole, can you say if it was possible for it to have been bored for a long time?—l could not say whether it was new or old. 45. There was also some fuse found. Could that fuse lie there for a number of months without being disturbed?—l never had any experience, and could not say. 46. Did you examine Brislane's bord?—Yes. 47. There, I believe, safety-lamps were being used?— Yes. 48. Was there any indication of violent explosion in that bord ?—No. 49. Did you examine Worthley's bord?—Yes; there were indications of a very severe flame coming down into Worthley's bord. 50. Where would you say that flame came from ?—From the top of the fall above Worthley's place. 51. Would it go through Brislane's bord?—No. 52. I think old falls produce a large quantity of gas? —Sometimes. 53. That is a most likely place to find most gas—namely, close alongside of a fall ? —Yes. 54. Assuming your theory, that the gas came down over a fall, is correct, is it possible that the gas explosion would produce the same results as you have in the Brunner Mine now ?—Yes. 55. How do you account for the very strong charring round the blown-out hole?— Only by a flame coming up on the two sides, "bashing" on the pillar side. 56. It would strike the blind wall ? —Yes.